Technical Specifications
Manual for Online
Testing
For Technology Coordinators
2014–2015
Published February 23, 2015
Prepared by the American Institutes for Research®
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Table of Contents
Introduction to the Technical Specifications Manual .............................................................................. 1
Manual Content ........................................................................................................................................ 1
Other Resources ....................................................................................................................................... 1
Section I. Network and Internet Requirements ........................................................................................ 3
General Requirements.............................................................................................................................. 3
Common Network Performance Bottlenecks............................................................................................ 3
Bandwidth ............................................................................................................................................. 4
Determining Bandwidth Requirements ............................................................................................ 5
Total Number of Students Simultaneously Testing .......................................................................... 5
Size of the Test Content................................................................................................................... 5
Secure Browser Installation .................................................................................................................. 6
Network Configuration .............................................................................................................................. 6
Protocols ............................................................................................................................................... 6
Domain Name Resolution..................................................................................................................... 6
Content Filter, Firewalls, and Proxy Servers ........................................................................................ 6
Quality of Service (QoS)/Traffic Shaping ............................................................................................. 7
Certificate Revocation List .................................................................................................................... 7
Symantec Recommendations .......................................................................................................... 7
Wireless Networking ................................................................................................................................. 8
Wireless Access Points ........................................................................................................................ 8
Recommendations on the optimal number of student workstations per wireless connection ......... 8
Network Diagnostic Tools ......................................................................................................................... 9
AIR’s Network/Bandwidth Diagnostic Tool ........................................................................................... 9
Microsoft Windows Specific Tools ........................................................................................................ 9
Mac OS X Specific Tools .................................................................................................................... 10
Multi‐Platform Tools ............................................................................................................................ 10
Section II. General Software Requirements ........................................................................................... 11
Requirements for All Systems ................................................................................................................ 11
Enabling Pop-Up Windows ................................................................................................................. 11
Flash Information ................................................................................................................................ 12
Windows Requirements .......................................................................................................................... 13
Disabling Fast User Switching ............................................................................................................ 13
Disabling Fast User Switching in Windows XP .............................................................................. 13
Disabling Fast User Switching in Windows 7 ................................................................................. 13
Disabling Fast User Switching in Windows 8.0 and 8.1 ................................................................. 15
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Enabling Web Fonts in Internet Explorer 10 and 11 .......................................................................... 17
Installing Windows Media Pack for Windows 8.1 N and KN .............................................................. 18
Mac OS X Requirements ........................................................................................................................ 18
Disabling Spaces ................................................................................................................................ 19
Function Keys and Application Launches .......................................................................................... 20
Disabling Spaces and Application Launches from the Command Line ............................................. 21
Disabling Spaces and Application Launches on Remote Machines .................................................. 21
Linux Requirements ................................................................................................................................ 22
Installing Festival and Sound eXchange (SoX) Software ................................................................... 22
Mobile Requirements .............................................................................................................................. 22
iOS Requirements .............................................................................................................................. 23
Guided Access ............................................................................................................................... 23
Enabling Guided Access ................................................................................................................ 23
Configuring Using Autonomous Single App Mode ............................................................................. 24
Overview of Autonomous Single App Mode and the Secure Testing Environment ...................... 24
Step 1: Creating a Mobile Device Management Profile ................................................................. 25
Step 1a (Optional): Restricting Features in iOS 8.1.3 .................................................................... 26
Step 2: Creating a Supervisory Profile ........................................................................................... 27
Step 3: Placing iPads in Autonomous Single App Mode ............................................................... 29
Android Requirements ........................................................................................................................ 32
Enabling the Secure Browser Keyboard ........................................................................................ 32
Chrome OS Requirements ................................................................................................................. 34
Google Documentation .................................................................................................................. 34
Section III. Text-to-Speech Requirements .............................................................................................. 36
Overview of Text-to-Speech ................................................................................................................... 36
Using Text-to-Speech ......................................................................................................................... 36
How the Secure Browsers Work With Voice Packs ........................................................................... 36
Desktop Secure Browsers.............................................................................................................. 36
Mobile Secure Browsers ................................................................................................................ 37
About NeoSpeech™ Voice Packs for Windows ................................................................................. 37
Windows Text-to-Speech Settings ......................................................................................................... 38
Mac OS X Text-to-Speech Settings ........................................................................................................ 39
Linux Text-to-Speech Settings ............................................................................................................... 40
Voice Packs Recognized by Desktop Secure Browsers ........................................................................ 41
Windows ............................................................................................................................................. 41
Mac OS X ........................................................................................................................................... 42
Linux ................................................................................................................................................... 43
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Appendix A. Systems and URLs Provided by AIR ................................................................................ 44
Non-Testing Sites ................................................................................................................................... 44
Testing Sites ........................................................................................................................................... 44
TA and Student Testing Sites ............................................................................................................. 44
Appendix B. Technology Coordinator Checklist ................................................................................... 45
Appendix C. User Support ....................................................................................................................... 46
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List of Tables
Table 1. Key Symbols and Elements ............................................................................................................ 1
Table 2. Average Bandwidth Used by Secure Browser for Testing .............................................................. 4
Table 3. Ports for Test Delivery System ....................................................................................................... 6
Table 4. Wireless Access Points ................................................................................................................... 8
Table 5. Flash Requirements ...................................................................................................................... 12
Table 6. Packages that Include Supported Voice Packs on Linux Distributions ........................................ 40
Table 7. Voice Packs Recognized by Secure Browsers—Windows........................................................... 41
Table 8. Voice Packs Recognized by Secure Browsers—Mac OS X ......................................................... 42
Table 9. Voice Packs Recognized by Secure Browsers—Linux................................................................. 43
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Introduction to the Technical Specifications Manual
This manual provides information about supported operating systems and related
requirements, network and Internet requirements, general hardware and software
requirements, and text-to-speech information.
Manual Content
Below is a brief description of each section in this manual, as well as common symbols and
elements used throughout the document.

Section I, Network and Internet Requirements, provides information about bandwidth,
networking, and available diagnostic tools.

Section II, General Software Requirements, outlines required configurations for desktop
operating systems (Windows, Mac, and Linux).

Section III, Text-to-Speech Requirements, contains information for ensuring text-to-speech
settings are enabled on desktop operating systems. Information about voice packs for
Windows is also included.

The appendices contain URLs for systems provided by the American Institutes for Research
and a checklist for system administrators and technology coordinators.
Table 1. Key Symbols and Elements
Element
Description
Warning: This symbol accompanies important information regarding actions that may
cause fatal errors.
Alert: This symbol accompanies important information regarding a task that may cause
minor errors.
Note: This symbol accompanies additional information that may be of interest.
text
Bold text indicates a link or button that is clickable.
Tip: This symbol accompanies suggestions that may be useful.
Other Resources

For information about installing secure browsers, refer to the Secure Browser Installation
Manual.
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
For information about operating system and general hardware requirements, refer to the
Online System Requirements for Ohio Science and Social Studies Tests.
The above resources as well as test administration manuals and user guides for other systems
are available on the OCBA (Ohio Computer Based Assessments) portal
(http://oh.portal.airast.org/ocba/).
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Section I. Network and Internet Requirements
The information in this section provides an overview of network and Internet configuration
requirements and available diagnostic tools.
General Requirements
A stable, high-speed (wired or wireless) Internet connection is required for online testing. The
response time for each assessment depends on the reliability and speed of your school’s
Internet network.
If your Internet connection is not working or stops working, students will need to complete
their tests at a later time or on another day. Any answers they have already submitted will be
saved, and students will resume their tests where they left off.
For the online testing applications to work properly, you may need to verify your network
settings. If you are not sure whether your network is properly configured or you have
questions, contact your network administrator or technology specialist to find the right contact
person in your area. You may also contact the Ohio Help Desk.
Network configuration settings should include the following:

Content filters, firewalls, and proxy servers should be configured to allow traffic on the
protocols and to the servers listed below.

Session timeouts on proxy servers and other devices should be set to values greater than
the average scheduled testing time. If testing sessions are scheduled for 60 minutes,
consider session timeouts of 65–70 minutes. This will help limit network interruptions
during testing.

Data cannot be cached.

If your client network uses any devices that perform traffic shaping, packet prioritization, or
Quality of Service, the URLs for the systems provided by AIR should be given a high priority
to guarantee the highest level of performance.
For information about URLs that should be open or whitelisted, refer to Systems and URLs
Provided by AIR.
Common Network Performance Bottlenecks
All network communications are accomplished using the IP protocol suite. The local area
network (LAN) must be able to route IP traffic to and from the Internet.
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The Test Delivery System is delivered directly through the Internet. Students must access their
tests using the appropriate secure browser. For testing to take place, all workstations where
tests will be administered must have reliable Internet connectivity.
In general, the performance of the Test Delivery System will depend on a number of factors,
including bandwidth, total number of students simultaneously testing, size of test content,
secure browser installation, proxy server (if used), and the wireless networking solution (if
used).
Bandwidth
Bandwidth is the measure of the capacity of a network. Utilized bandwidth measures the
amount of data traveling across the network at a given point in time. Bandwidth performance
can be affected on either the internal network (LAN) traffic or the Internet traffic from the
router. Regardless of hardware or network topology, the LAN should be analyzed to determine
the potential for traffic bottlenecks.
The following table displays the estimated average bandwidth used by the secure browser for
testing. (Note that there is a one-time exception to these averages; during initial secure
browser startup, the load can be greater, leading to a longer load time.) All numbers provided
are based on rigorous testing using Wireshark.
Table 2. Average Bandwidth Used by Secure Browser for Testing
Number of Students Testing
Concurrently in
School/Building
Average Estimated Bandwidth
Consumed During
Subsequent Startup of Secure
Browsera
Average Estimated Bandwidth
Consumed During Testingb
1
8K bits/second
5–15K bits/second
50
400K bits/second
250–750K bits/second
(0.25–0.75M bits/second)
100
800K bits/second
500–1500K bits/second
(0.5–1.5M bits/second)
a
Bandwidth consumed when opening the secure browser and accessing an assessment for the first time
is significantly higher than when opening the secure browser and accessing an assessment
subsequently. The reason for this is that the initial launch of the secure browser downloads non-secure
cacheable content (not test content) that can be immediately accessed upon opening the secure browser
at a later time.
Bandwidth will vary during a student’s testing experience, as some pages contain low-bandwidth
content, such as multiple-choice items, and other pages contain higher-bandwidth content, such as
animations. Consequently, the estimated average values in this column are based on computing
averages from multiple assessments and subjects.
b
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Determining Bandwidth Requirements
Schools need to factor the bandwidth requirements of each assessment along with all other
non-testing-related Internet traffic in order to determine how many concurrent test sessions
their Internet connections can support.

Some assessments include animations and interactive item types. These may increase the
bandwidth required, but the bandwidth should not exceed the peak usage experienced
when the test initially loads. We encourage you to run the diagnostics on your network to
determine how many students you can reasonably test at one time. For information about
running diagnostics on your network, refer to the Network Diagnostic Tools section.

For wired networks, internal bandwidth is typically not a problem, because new switches
generally operate at speeds of between 100M bits per second and 1000M bits per second.
However, LAN performance can be hindered in cases where hubs are used instead of
switches. A hub device will allow broadcast signals from various network devices to
propagate across the network, potentially saturating the network and causing traffic
competition and/or collisions of data.

For Internet networks, the most common bottleneck is the ISP’s router connection, which
typically operates at speeds of between 1.5M bits per second and 100M bits per second.
Network administrators should spend time prior to test administration determining
whether their Internet infrastructure has the capacity to accommodate current and future
growth.
Analyzing Infrastructure
Determining whether infrastructure is capable of current and future growth involves a number
of steps, including but not limited to: (1) the analysis of the current number of users; (2) current
day-to-day Internet bandwidth statistics; and (3) the desired response time for applications.
Total Number of Students Simultaneously Testing
As the number of students testing at one time increases, competition for network bandwidth
increases. Network bandwidth resembles highway traffic; as the number of cars traveling on a
given road increases, the speed of traffic flow decreases.
Size of the Test Content
The size of the test is determined by two factors: (1) the number of items on the test and (2)
the average size of each item. The more items a test contains and the larger the average size of
a test item, the higher the bandwidth requirement for a given test. For example, ELA tests
typically deliver all items associated with a passage at one time, and this may slightly impact the
bandwidth for these tests.
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Secure Browser Installation
The recommended installation of the secure browser is local installation on each individual
testing workstation. It is possible to install the secure browser on a network or shared drive and
then have the testing workstations run the secure browser from that drive, but there may be
some performance impacts under this configuration. There will be competition for network
bandwidth, and the network or shared disk drive will also be subject to some resource
competition as there will be multiple clients reading from the network drive, thus slowing the
overall processing speed. See the Secure Browser Installation Manual for guidance.
Network Configuration
Protocols
All communication with the Test Delivery System takes place over the following Internet
port/protocol combinations. Please ensure that the following ports are open for these systems.
Table 3. Ports for Test Delivery System
Port/Protocol
Purpose
80/tcp
HTTP (initial connection only)
443/tcp
HTTPS (secure connection)
Domain Name Resolution
All system URLs must be resolvable by all client hosts attempting to connect to the Test Delivery
System. This means that the client workstations should be able to convert the friendly names
(URLs) to their corresponding IP address by requesting the information from the DNS server.
For a list of URLs, refer to Appendix A, Systems and URLs Provided by AIR.
Content Filter, Firewalls, and Proxy Servers
Content filters, firewalls, and proxy servers should be configured to allow traffic on the
protocols listed above to the applications’ servers.
In addition, session timeouts on proxy servers and other devices should be set to values greater
than the average duration it takes a student to participate in a test session or complete a given
test. For example, if your school determines that students will test in 75-minute sessions, then
consider setting the session timeout to 80 or 85 minutes.
System administrators will need to make sure that information is not blocked in their content
filters and that data are not cached. The URLs listed in Appendix A should be open for these
systems.
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Quality of Service (QoS)/Traffic Shaping
If the client network utilizes any devices that perform traffic shaping, packet prioritization, or
Quality of Service, the URLs should be given a high level of priority in order to guarantee the
highest level of performance.
Certificate Revocation List
Schools should open their firewalls to allow the secure browser to check the certificate
authenticity at Symantec Certificate Revocation List (CRL) at http://crl.verisign.com/.
Symantec Recommendations
Note: The following information was provided by Symantec.
It is strongly recommended that any firewall policies and/or access control devices use URLs
and not IP addresses. Symantec can change these IP addresses at any time without notification.
If possible, white list the following entries on your firewall policies and/or access control
devices to ensure seamless access to our Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) services:

*.thawte.com

*.geotrust.com

*.ws.symantec.com
Note: If white listing wildcard entries is not permitted, you can white list the following specific
fully qualified domain names (FQDNs):

oscp.ws.symantec.com

oscp.geotrust.com

oscp.thawte.com
If your firewall is configured to allow only a certain set of IP addresses to be accessed from your
network, you will need to take the following actions:

Get the full list of IP addresses for the new sites. Complete a short form and then you will
gain access to the site list.

Install or add the IP addresses to your existing list. Do not replace the old IP addresses and
do not delete your existing rules for Symantec OCSP IP addresses.
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Wireless Networking
Over the past several years, there have been several revisions to wireless networking
technology.

802.11n is the fastest and most recent IEEE wireless standard, with a throughput of up to
300M bits per second.

802.11g has a theoretical throughput of up to 54M bits per second.

802.11b has a theoretical throughput of 11M bits per second.
Wireless Security
Due to the sensitivity of test-related data, it is highly recommended that wireless traffic use
WPA2/AES data encryption. Because encryption/decryption is part of the data exchange
process, there may be a slight decrease in the overall speed of the network. A properly
configured wireless network should provide adequate bandwidth for the testing applications.
Wireless Access Points
AIR recommends that schools maintain a ratio of wireless systems to wireless access points
(WAPs) of no more than 20 to 1. Typically, the test performance begins to deteriorate after that
threshold has been reached. In some instances, older WAPs may also see performance
degradation when more than 15 devices are concurrently connected.
Recommendations on the optimal number of student workstations per wireless
connection
The optimal (or maximum) number of student workstations (computers and tablets) supported
by a single wireless connection will depend on the type of networking standard being used for
the connection. The two most common networking standards are 802.11g (54Mbps) and the
newer and faster standard, 802.11n (300Mbps). Both the access point, which emits the wireless
signal, and the computer’s wireless card, which receives the signal, will use one of these two
standards. The recommendations in Table 4 are based on the standard in use.
Table 4. Wireless Access Points
802.11g Access Point
802.11n Access Point
802.11g Wireless Cards
20 workstations or devices
40 workstations or devices
802.11n Wireless Cards
20 workstations or devices
40 workstations or devices
Mix of 802.11g and
802.11n Wireless Cards
20 workstations or devices
40–50 workstations or devices
(depending on the ratio of wireless
cards used)
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Note: Refer to your WAP documentation for specific recommendations and guidelines.
Networks using wireless standards other than 802.11g and 802.11n may also work, but early
testing using the practice tests is recommended.
Network Diagnostic Tools
A performance analysis of the LAN/Internet infrastructure is recommended in order to identify
any bottlenecks that may impact test performance. Identifying the diagnostic tool most
appropriate for a network depends on the testing operating system, the network
administrator’s knowledge base and the desired level of network analysis. A number of network
diagnostic tools are available. These include the following:
AIR’s Network/Bandwidth Diagnostic Tool
AIR provides a diagnostic tool that can be directly accessed from the student practice test login
page.
1. On the practice test login page, click the Run Diagnostics link. The Diagnostic Screen page
will display.
2. In the Network Diagnostics section, select a test.
3. Select the approximate number of students who may take that test at one time.
4. Click the Run Network Diagnostics Tests button.
The results will display your current upload and download speed as well as a general idea of
whether you can reliably test the given number of students (the number entered in step 3). You
may want to run this test several times throughout the day to verify that your upload and
download speeds remain relatively consistent.
Microsoft Windows Specific Tools
PRTG Traffic Grapher
PRTG (www.paessler.com/prtg) monitors bandwidth usage and other network parameters via
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). It also contains a built‐in packet sniffer. A
freeware version is available.
NTttcp
NTttcp (www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/network/TCP_tool.mspx) is a multithreaded,
asynchronous application that sends and receives data between two or more endpoints and
reports the network performance for the duration of the transfer.
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Pathping
Pathping is a network utility included in the Windows operating system. It combines the
functionality of Ping with that of Traceroute (Windows filename: tracert) by providing details of
the path between two hosts and Ping‐like statistics for each node in the path based on samples
taken over a time period.
Mac OS X Specific Tools
Network Utility.app
This tool is built into Mac OS X software.
Multi‐Platform Tools
Wireshark
Wireshark (www.wireshark.org) is a network protocol analyzer. It has a large feature set and
runs on most computing platforms including Windows, OS X, Linux, and UNIX.
TCPDump
TCPdump (http://sourceforge.net/projects/tcpdump) is a common packet sniffer that runs
under the command line and is compatible with most major operating systems (UNIX, Linux,
Mac OS X). It allows the user to intercept and display data packets being transmitted or
received over a network.
A Windows port WinDump is also available (www.winpcap.org/windump/).
Ping, NSLookup, Netstat, Traceroute
This is a set of standard UNIX network utilities. Versions of these utilities are included in all
major operating systems (UNIX, Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X).
Iperf
Iperf (http://sourceforge.net/projects/iperf/) measures maximum TCP bandwidth, allowing the
tuning of various parameters and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) characteristics. Iperf reports
bandwidth, delay jitter, and datagram loss.
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Section II. General Software Requirements
In addition to installing the secure browser, you may need to adjust operating system settings
or install additional software on students’ machines that are used for testing.
Requirements for All Systems
Enabling Pop-Up Windows
All systems provided by AIR except for the secure browser require pop-up windows to be
enabled. These systems use pop-up windows to provide warning or error messages to users.
Navigate to the appropriate menu option to globally disable pop-up blockers.
To globally enable pop-up windows:

Firefox: Tools > Options > Content > clear Block pop-up windows.

Google Chrome: Menu > Settings > Show advanced settings (at the bottom of the screen) >
Privacy > Content Settings > Pop-ups > mark Allow all sites to show pop-ups.

Chrome browser on Android tablets: Menu > Settings > Advanced > Content Settings >
Block pop-ups > clear checkbox.

Internet Explorer: Tools > Pop-up Blocker > Turn Off Pop-up Blocker.

Safari: Application Menu (Safari) > clear Block Pop-Up Windows.

iOS Safari: Settings > Safari > Block Pop-ups (toggle to off mode)
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If you want only allow certain sites to have pop-up windows, you can add exceptions and
whitelist AIR’s systems. For URLs and information about whitelisting, refer to Appendix A,
Systems and URLs Provided by AIR.
To add exceptions to the pop-up blocker:

Firefox: Tools > Options > Content > click Exceptions. Enter the URL or whitelist protocol for
each system.

Google Chrome: Menu > Settings > Show advanced settings (at the bottom of the screen) >
Privacy > Content Settings > Pop-ups > click Manage Exceptions. Enter the URL or whitelist
protocol for each system and select Allow. This option is not available for the Chrome
browser on Android tablets.

Internet Explorer: Tools > Pop-up Blocker > Pop-up Blocker Settings. Enter the URL or
whitelist protocol for each system and click Add. Configure other settings as desired.

Safari and iOS Safari: N/A
Flash Information
Some test items include animations. Animations can be rendered in Flash or HTML5. Table 5
lists the requirements for installing Flash on the testing computers.
Table 5. Flash Requirements
Browser
Flash Requirement
Secure browser 7.0 and later
Renders using HTML5, no need for additional
installation.
Secure browser 6.5
Flash bundled in the secure browser installation
pack.
Secure TestApp
Renders using HTML5, no need for additional
installation.
Commercial browser* with HTML5
Renders using HTML5, no need for additional
installation.
Commercial browser* before HTML5
Install Flash for your operating system, or install
the Flash plug-in for the browser.
*Commercial browsers—the versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and mobile
browsers listed in the Online System Requirements for Ohio Science and Social Studies Tests.
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Windows Requirements
This section contains information specific to Windows users.
Disabling Fast User Switching
Microsoft Windows (XP, Vista, 7, 8.0, and 8.1) allows computers to be configured to allow
multiple users to log in to a computer without requiring one user to log out before another logs
in. This feature is called “Fast User Switching” and presents a test security risk if it is enabled.
If a student can access multiple user accounts from a single computer, you are required to
disable the Fast User Switching function. Instructions for disabling Fast User Switching in
Windows XP, 7, and 8 follow.
Disabling Fast User Switching in Windows XP
1. Click Start, click Control Panel, then click User
Accounts.
2. Click Change the Way Users Log On or Off.
a. Mark the Use the Welcome Screen
checkbox.
b. Clear the Use Fast User Switching
checkbox.
3. Click Apply Options.
*Please note that Fast User Switching is not an
option if joined to a domain.
Disabling Fast User Switching in Windows 7
The instructions for disabling Fast User Switching in Vista are very similar.
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Option A: Access the Group Policy Editor
1. Click Start, type gpedit.msc in the Start Search
dialog box, and press Enter.
2. Navigate to the following location: Local
Computer Policy > Computer Configuration >
Administrative Templates > System > Logon.
3. Click Hide entry points for Fast User Switching,
select Enabled, and click OK.
4. Close the Fast User Switching window.
5. Close the Local Group Policy Editor window.
Note: Because the Group Policy Editor does not
exist in certain editions of Windows Vista, you may
need to configure these settings via the registry if
the above method is unavailable. See below for
registry instructions.
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Option B: Access the Registry
1. Click Start, type regedit.exe in the Start Search
dialog box, and press Enter.
2. Navigate to the following location:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft
> Windows > CurrentVersion > Policies >
System.
3. Right-click the System folder.
4. Click New, DWORD (32-bit) value.
5. Type in HideFastUserSwitching and press
Enter.
6. Click the HideFastUserSwitching value.
7. Type 1 into the Value data box and click OK.
8. Close the Registry Editor window.
Disabling Fast User Switching in Windows 8.0 and 8.1
1. Navigate to the Search option. (From the
home screen, mouse to the lower right
corner and then click the Search icon.)
2. In the search box, type gpedit.msc. Doubleclick the gpedit icon in the Apps pane. The
Local Group Policy Editor window will open.
3. Navigate to the following location: Computer
Configuration > Administrative Templates
> System > Logon.
4. In the Setting pane, double-click Hide entry
points for Fast User Switching.
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5. Select Enabled and then click OK.
6. Navigate to the Search option (from the
home screen, mouse to the lower right
corner and then click the Search icon.
7. In the search box, type run. The Run dialogue
box will open.
8. Enter the command gpupdate /force into the
text box and then click OK. (Note the space
before the backslash.)
9. The Windows system command box will
open. When you see the message Computer
Policy update has completed successfully,
then Fast User Switching has been
successfully disabled.
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Enabling Web Fonts in Internet Explorer 10 and 11
If students use Internet Explorer 10 or 11 to access the practice tests, web fonts may need to be
enabled in order for some item types to display properly.
Enabling Web Fonts in Internet Explorer:
1. Open the Tools menu in Internet Explorer
and click Internet Options. The Internet
Options window will open.
2. Click the Security tab.
3. Click the Custom Level button. The Security
Settings window will open.
4. Scroll to Font Download in the Settings list
and click the Enable radio button.
5. Click OK. The Security Settings Window will
close.
6. Click OK. The Internet Options window will
close.
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Installing Windows Media Pack for Windows 8.1 N and KN
Some versions of Windows 8.1 are not shipped with media software installed. As a result, you
may need to install software in order for students to listen to audio.
Microsoft provides additional information as well as a download package for computers with
the following Windows 8.1 versions:

Windows 8.1 N

Windows 8.1 N/K with Bing

Windows 8.1 Enterprise N

Windows 8.1 Pro N

Windows 8.1 Pro N/K for EDU
AIR encourages downloading this software and ensuring it works with sample websites and
video and audio files prior to installing the Windows secure browser. Installation instructions
are provided on Microsoft’s download page.
Microsoft Resources:

About the Media Feature Pack for Windows 8.1 N and Windows 8.1 KN Editions: April 2014
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2929699/en-us)

Download Media Feature Pack for N and KN Versions of Windows 8.1
(http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=42503)
Mac OS X Requirements
This section contains information specific to Mac OS X users. These settings can be configured
before or after installing the secure browser.
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Disabling Spaces
Mac OS X 10.7 through 10.10 includes a Spaces feature that allows running more than one
desktop session. This is a security risk because students can potentially start a new desktop
session during the test, and use that session to search the Internet for answers. The following
procedure explains how to disable Spaces on those versions of OS X. (You can disable Spaces
quickly from the command line; see Disabling Spaces and Application Launches from the
Command Line for details.)
To disable Spaces in Mission Control:
1. Navigate to Apple  System Preferences.
2. In System Preferences, click Keyboard. The
Keyboard window will be displayed.
3. Click the Keyboard Shortcuts or Shortcuts
tab. The Keyboard Shortcuts options will be
displayed.
4. In the left panel, click Mission Control. The
right panel will show all Mission Control
options.
5. In the right panel, clear the following
checkboxes:
o Move left a space
o Move right a space
o Switch to Desktop 1 (this may already
be unchecked)
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6. To re-enable Spaces, follow steps 1–5 again,
and mark the checkboxes for spaces.
Function Keys and Application Launches
When students use the secure browser for testing, the Test Delivery System conducts regular
checks to ensure that other applications are not open. These checks help maintain the integrity
of the secure test environment.
Some Mac computers are configured to launch iTunes and other applications by pressing the
function keys (e.g., F8) on the keyboard. This section contains information on how to prevent
the function keys from directly launching applications, including iTunes. This action will help
prevent students from accidentally pressing a function key instead of a key in the number row.
These instructions are based on Mac 10.9 and should be similar for other supported Macs.
To modify the function keys:
1. Open System Preferences.
2. In the Hardware row, click Keyboard. The
Keyboard window opens.
3. In the Keyboard window, mark the Use all
F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys.
You should no longer be able to launch
applications with just the function keys.
If you need to launch iTunes or another
application, press the Fn key and then press
the desired function key. This combination will
launch the application.
Important: If a student is testing with the
secure browser and presses the Fn key and a
function key, this action will open the linked
application and result in the test being paused.
Source: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3399
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Disabling Spaces and Application Launches from the Command Line
The sections Disabling Spaces and Function Keys and Application Launches describe how to
configure OS X through the desktop. This section describes how to perform those
configurations from the command line, which can be faster than working through the desktop.
To perform this task, you need to be familiar with logging in to OS X machines through Terminal
or other terminal emulator.
To disable spaces and application launches from the command line:
4. Log in to the machine (remote or local) as the user that runs the secure browser.
5. Enter the following commands:
defaults write
"{enabled = 0;
defaults write
"{enabled = 0;
}"
defaults write
"{enabled = 0;
}"
defaults write
"{enabled = 0;
}"
com.apple.symbolichotkeys AppleSymbolicHotKeys -dict-add 79
value = {parameters = (65535,123, 262144); type = standard; }; }"
com.apple.symbolichotkeys AppleSymbolicHotKeys -dict-add 80
value = { parameters = (65535, 123, 393216); type = 'standard'; };
com.apple.symbolichotkeys AppleSymbolicHotKeys -dict-add 81
value = { parameters = (65535, 124, 262144); type = 'standard'; };
com.apple.symbolichotkeys AppleSymbolicHotKeys -dict-add 82
value = { parameters = (65535, 124, 393216); type = 'standard'; };
TIP You can paste these lines into a text file, and run the file from the command line.
These commands modify the file ~/Library/Preferences/
com.apple.symbolichotkeys.plist.
6. If you logged in to a computer running OS X 10.8.5 or log out of OS X desktop and then log
back in.
If you need to restore Spaces and the default application launchers, repeat steps 4–6. In step 5,
change enabled = 0 to enabled = 1.
Disabling Spaces and Application Launches on Remote Machines
The sections Disabling Spaces
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Mac OS X 10.7 through 10.10 includes a Spaces feature that allows running more than one
desktop session. This is a security risk because students can potentially start a new desktop
session during the test, and use that session to search the Internet for answers. The following
procedure explains how to disable Spaces on those versions of OS X. (You can disable Spaces
quickly from the command line; see Disabling Spaces and Application Launches from the
Command Line for details.)
, Disabling Spaces and Application Launches from the Command Line, and Disabling Spaces and
Application Launches from the Command Line describe procedures for configuring a secure test
environment in OS X. This configuration is stored in the file ~/Library/Preferences/
com.apple.symbolichotkeys.plist. If you have many OS X testing machines, it may be easier to
push this file to those machines instead of configuring each one individually.
You can push the configuration file to remote machines using a variety of tools, such as the
following:

File Distributor

Apple’s Active Directory Client and Directory Utility

Apple’s Open Directory and Profile Manager

Centrify & PowerBrokers Identity Enterprise

Apple Remote Desktop
Linux Requirements
This section contains information specific to Linux users.
Installing Festival and Sound eXchange (SoX) Software
The following two software programs must be installed on Linux machines: Festival and Sound
eXchange (SoX). If this software is not installed, students will not be able to hear the audio in
the online assessments even when text-to-speech is enabled.

To download Festival, click here: http://www.cstr.ed.ac.uk/projects/festival/.

To download SoX, click here: http://sox.sourceforge.net.
For more information on enabling text-to-speech settings on Linux machines, refer to Section V,
Text-to-Speech Requirements, Linux.
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Mobile Requirements
This section provides a brief overview of the requirements for student testing on tablets and
Chromebooks. Complete instructions are provided in the Secure Browser Installation Manual.
The AIRSecureTest mobile secure browsers for iOS and Android tablets and Chromebooks are
designed to support a secure testing environment. In addition to installing the secure browser,
some device settings may need to be adjusted.
iOS Requirements
Guided Access
Guided Access restricts the iOS to a single application and prevents taking screenshots. This
ensures a secure test environment. (You may want to use Single App mode, which is easier to
enable and activate than Guided Access; for more details about this configuration, see
Configuring Using Autonomous Single App Mode.)
The procedure in this section only enables Guided Access; to activate Guided Access before a
test, see the Test Administrator User Guide.
Enabling Guided Access
1. Tap the Settings icon to open the Settings
application.
2. Navigate to General > Accessibility >
Learning and tap Guided Access.
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3. Tap Off; it will change to On (enabled).
4. Set the passcode for Guided Access. This
passcode is required to deactivate Guided
Access after students are finished testing. (If
you do not set the passcode now, you will
be prompted to set it later.) To set the
passcode:
a. Tap Set Passcode.
b. Enter a passcode.
c. Confirm the passcode. (You may want to
write down or save this number in a safe
place. There is no ability to “retrieve” a
forgotten passcode.)
Configuring Using Autonomous Single App Mode
If you have iOS tablets running version 7.1 or higher, and if you have a Mac running version
10.10 or higher, then you can use Autonomous Single App Mode (ASAM) to quickly create a
secure testing environment on all iPads used for testing. (Tablets running a version earlier than
7.1 require Guided Access; for details about this configuration, see Enabling Guided Access.)
Compared to Guided Access, ASAM requires less time to prepare for test sessions; there is no
need to activate Guided Access on each iPad before each test session.
Overview of Autonomous Single App Mode and the Secure Testing Environment
To manage multiple iPads using ASAM, you need the do the following:
Step 1: Creating a Mobile Device Management Profile
Step 1a (Optional): Restricting Features in iOS 8.1.3
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Step 1a (Optional): Restricting Features in iOS 8.1.3
You can restrict features in supervised iOS 8.1.3 devices that may give students an unfair testing
advantage, including the dictionary, predictive keyboard, spell check, and auto-correction. If
you wish to restrict any of these features, you may do so when creating the MDM profile for
these devices.
Note: The current version of Apple Configurator does not allow you to restrict these features. If
you wish to restrict these features when configuring the MDM profile, you must use a thirdparty MDM solution.
To restrict features in iOS 8.1.3 devices:

In the Custom Settings section of the MDM solution, insert the profile key for each feature
you wish to restrict. Table 6 provides a list of the relevant profile keys.
Table 6. Profile Keys for iOS 8.1.3 Features
Feature
Profile Key
Recommended Value
Dictionary
<key>allowDefinitionLookup
</key>
False
Predictive Keyboard
<key>allowPredictiveKeyboa
rd</key>
False
Spell Check
<key>allowSpellCheck</key>
False
Auto-Correction
<key>allowAutoCorrection</
key>
False
The following snippet turns off the iPad’s auto-correction feature. The snippets for dictionary,
predictive keyboard, and spell check are similar.
<dict>
<key>allowAutoCorrection</key>
<false />
<key>PayloadDisplayName</key>
<string>Restrictions</string>
<key>PayloadDescription</key>
<string>RestrictionSettings</string>
<key>PayloadIdentifier</key>
<string>31eb53ac-3a08-46f7-8a0a-82e872382e15.Restrictions</string>
<key>PayloadOrganization</key>
<string></string>
<key>PayloadType</key>
<string>com.apple.applicationaccess</string>
<key>PayloadUUID</key>
<string>56199b2c-374d-4152-bc50-166d21fa9152</string>
<key>PayloadVersion</key>
<integer>1</integer>
</dict>
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Step 2: Creating a Supervisory Profile
Step 3: Placing iPads in Autonomous Single App Mode
After completing these three steps, each time a student starts a test, the iPad enters ASAM and
the test environment is secure.
Step 1: Creating a Mobile Device Management Profile
The first step in provisioning iPads with ASAM is to create an MDM profile. All default profile
settings are compatible. However, you may wish to restrict certain features in iOS 8.1.3 devices
(see Step 1a (Optional): Restricting Features in iOS 8.1.3). Deploy the profile to a host that the
iPads can access.
Creating an MDM profile is beyond the scope of this specification manual. The following
references provide introductory information:

IT in the Classroom, available at https://www.apple.com/education/it/mdm/.

Apple Configurator Help, available at https://help.apple.com/configurator/mac/1.0/#.

Pro tip: Use OS X Server Profile Manager for MDM, available at
http://www.techrepublic.com/article/pro-tip-use-os-x-server-profile-manager-for-mdm/.
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Step 1a (Optional): Restricting Features in iOS 8.1.3
You can restrict features in supervised iOS 8.1.3 devices that may give students an unfair testing
advantage, including the dictionary, predictive keyboard, spell check, and auto-correction. If
you wish to restrict any of these features, you may do so when creating the MDM profile for
these devices.
Note: The current version of Apple Configurator does not allow you to restrict these features. If
you wish to restrict these features when configuring the MDM profile, you must use a thirdparty MDM solution.
To restrict features in iOS 8.1.3 devices:

In the Custom Settings section of the MDM solution, insert the profile key for each feature
you wish to restrict. Table 6 provides a list of the relevant profile keys.
Table 6. Profile Keys for iOS 8.1.3 Features
Feature
Profile Key
Recommended Value
Dictionary
<key>allowDefinitionLookup
</key>
False
Predictive Keyboard
<key>allowPredictiveKeyboa
rd</key>
False
Spell Check
<key>allowSpellCheck</key>
False
Auto-Correction
<key>allowAutoCorrection</
key>
False
The following snippet turns off the iPad’s auto-correction feature. The snippets for dictionary,
predictive keyboard, and spell check are similar.
<dict>
<key>allowAutoCorrection</key>
<false />
<key>PayloadDisplayName</key>
<string>Restrictions</string>
<key>PayloadDescription</key>
<string>RestrictionSettings</string>
<key>PayloadIdentifier</key>
<string>31eb53ac-3a08-46f7-8a0a-82e872382e15.Restrictions</string>
<key>PayloadOrganization</key>
<string></string>
<key>PayloadType</key>
<string>com.apple.applicationaccess</string>
<key>PayloadUUID</key>
<string>56199b2c-374d-4152-bc50-166d21fa9152</string>
<key>PayloadVersion</key>
<integer>1</integer>
</dict>
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Step 2: Creating a Supervisory Profile
To create a supervisory profile:
1. On a Mac 10.10, download and install Apple Configurator from the Mac App Store. When
the installation completes, open Apple Configurator.
2. Click Prepare, then Settings. The Settings window appears.
Figure 1. Settings Window in Apple Configurator
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3. Click + below the Profiles list and select Create New Profile…. A configuration window
appears.
4. In the General section, in the Name field, enter a name for the profile.
5. In the Restrictions section, click Configure. A list of restrictions appears.
6. Make any required changes to the restrictions, or retain the defaults settings.
7. Click Save. You return to the Settings tab, and the profile appears in the Profiles list.
8. Click
to export the profile to the Mac.
Creation of the supervisory profile is complete.
Step 3: Placing iPads in Autonomous Single App Mode
TIP: Installing on multiple iPads at once Before starting this procedure, connect the iPads to
the Mac through a USB hub. That way you can perform the installation on many of them at one
time.
To install the MDM profile, supervisory profile, and secure browser:
1. On the Mac where you performed
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2. Step 1a (Optional): Restricting Features in iOS 8.1.3
You can restrict features in supervised iOS 8.1.3 devices that may give students an unfair testing
advantage, including the dictionary, predictive keyboard, spell check, and auto-correction. If
you wish to restrict any of these features, you may do so when creating the MDM profile for
these devices.
Note: The current version of Apple Configurator does not allow you to restrict these features. If
you wish to restrict these features when configuring the MDM profile, you must use a thirdparty MDM solution.
To restrict features in iOS 8.1.3 devices:

In the Custom Settings section of the MDM solution, insert the profile key for each feature
you wish to restrict. Table 6 provides a list of the relevant profile keys.
Table 6. Profile Keys for iOS 8.1.3 Features
Feature
Profile Key
Recommended Value
Dictionary
<key>allowDefinitionLookup
</key>
False
Predictive Keyboard
<key>allowPredictiveKeyboa
rd</key>
False
Spell Check
<key>allowSpellCheck</key>
False
Auto-Correction
<key>allowAutoCorrection</
key>
False
The following snippet turns off the iPad’s auto-correction feature. The snippets for dictionary,
predictive keyboard, and spell check are similar.
<dict>
<key>allowAutoCorrection</key>
<false />
<key>PayloadDisplayName</key>
<string>Restrictions</string>
<key>PayloadDescription</key>
<string>RestrictionSettings</string>
<key>PayloadIdentifier</key>
<string>31eb53ac-3a08-46f7-8a0a-82e872382e15.Restrictions</string>
<key>PayloadOrganization</key>
<string></string>
<key>PayloadType</key>
<string>com.apple.applicationaccess</string>
<key>PayloadUUID</key>
<string>56199b2c-374d-4152-bc50-166d21fa9152</string>
<key>PayloadVersion</key>
<integer>1</integer>
</dict>
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3. Step 2: Creating a Supervisory Profile, open the Apple Configurator.
4. From the Apple Configurator menu, select Preferences. The Preferences window opens.
5. Under General, clear the Automatically refresh and Remove apps and profiles
Configurator did not install checkboxes.
6. Close the Preferences window.
7. Back in Apple Configurator, click Prepare, then Settings. The Settings window appears (see
Figure 1).
8. In the Name field, enter a name to apply to the iPads.
9. Optional: Mark the Number sequentially starting at 1 checkbox. This adds a number to
each iPad’s name. For example, if the Name field is Garden Elementary School, and if three
iPads are connected, each device receives the name Garden Elementary School 1, Garden
Elementary School 2, and Garden Elementary School 3.
10. Set Supervision to On.
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11. Click Organization Info… The Organization Info window appears.
12. In the Organization field, enter Ohio Online and then click Done. The Organization Info
window closes.
13. If the profile you created in
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14. Step 1a (Optional): Restricting Features in iOS 8.1.3
You can restrict features in supervised iOS 8.1.3 devices that may give students an unfair testing
advantage, including the dictionary, predictive keyboard, spell check, and auto-correction. If
you wish to restrict any of these features, you may do so when creating the MDM profile for
these devices.
Note: The current version of Apple Configurator does not allow you to restrict these features. If
you wish to restrict these features when configuring the MDM profile, you must use a thirdparty MDM solution.
To restrict features in iOS 8.1.3 devices:

In the Custom Settings section of the MDM solution, insert the profile key for each feature
you wish to restrict. Table 6 provides a list of the relevant profile keys.
Table 6. Profile Keys for iOS 8.1.3 Features
Feature
Profile Key
Recommended Value
Dictionary
<key>allowDefinitionLookup
</key>
False
Predictive Keyboard
<key>allowPredictiveKeyboa
rd</key>
False
Spell Check
<key>allowSpellCheck</key>
False
Auto-Correction
<key>allowAutoCorrection</
key>
False
The following snippet turns off the iPad’s auto-correction feature. The snippets for dictionary,
predictive keyboard, and spell check are similar.
<dict>
<key>allowAutoCorrection</key>
<false />
<key>PayloadDisplayName</key>
<string>Restrictions</string>
<key>PayloadDescription</key>
<string>RestrictionSettings</string>
<key>PayloadIdentifier</key>
<string>31eb53ac-3a08-46f7-8a0a-82e872382e15.Restrictions</string>
<key>PayloadOrganization</key>
<string></string>
<key>PayloadType</key>
<string>com.apple.applicationaccess</string>
<key>PayloadUUID</key>
<string>56199b2c-374d-4152-bc50-166d21fa9152</string>
<key>PayloadVersion</key>
<integer>1</integer>
</dict>
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15. Step 2: Creating a Supervisory Profile does not appear in the Profiles list, import it by doing
the following:
a. Click + below the Profiles list and select Import Profile….
b. Navigate to the profile you saved in step 8 on page 28, and then click Open.
16. Mark the checkbox for the profile you want to prepare onto the iPads (see Figure 1).
17. Connect each iPad to the Mac via a USB cable or USB hub.
18. On each connected iPad, uninstall any existing versions of the secure browser.
19. In the Apple Configurator, under the Prepare tab, click Prepare at the bottom of the
window. A confirmation message appears.
20. Click Apply in the confirmation message. Preparation starts and may take several minutes,
after which the iPad restarts. The Apple Configurator displays progress messages during the
prepare.
Note: iOS Upgrade Apple Configurator may force the iPads to upgrade to the latest version of
iOS.
21. After the iPad restarts, follow the prompts on the iPad to configure it until the home screen
appears.
22. Optional: Confirm the supervisory profile is installed on the iPad. Go to Settings > General >
Profiles. The profile name you used in step 4 on page 28 appears under Configuration
Profiles.
23. On the iPad, download and install the MDM profile you created in Step 1: Creating a Mobile
Device Management Profile.
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24. After the MDM profile installation completes, install the secure browser onto the iPad. You
can take a copy of the secure browser for iOS from http://oh.portal.airast.org/ocba/.
(Detailed instructions for installing the secure browser are in the section “Installing the
Secure Browser on iOS” of the Secure Browser Installation Manual.)
25. Optional: After installation completes, test it by doing the following:
a. Open the Secure Browser.
b. Log into a test site.
c. Select a test, have the TA approve the test.
d. Start the test. The iPad enters ASAM.
26. Repeat steps 17–25 to prepare additional iPads.
27. In the Apple Configurator, click Stop and close the Apple Configurator.
Setting the iPad into ASAM is complete. When a student starts a test, the iPad enters ASAM
mode.
Android Requirements
The mobile secure browser for Android tablets requires the secure browser keyboard to be
selected before students can access the login page. The reason for this is that the default
Android keyboard allows predictive text, which would unduly aid students when entering
written responses to test items. The secure browser keyboard is a basic keyboard, with no row
for predictive text functionality.
The first time you open the Mobile Secure Browser on an Android tablet, you will be prompted
to select the secure browser keyboard.
Instructions for enabling the secure browser keyboard follow.
About the Secure Browser Keyboard and General Settings
Once the secure browser keyboard is set, it becomes the default keyboard for all Android
tablet applications, not just the secure browser. If you want to return to the default Android
keyboard after using the secure browser, you will need to navigate to Settings > Language &
Input and uncheck the secure browser keyboard.
If you change back to the default Android keyboard, you will be prompted to select the secure
browser keyboard the next time you open the secure browser. The secure browser will not
allow you to access the student login page until the secure browser keyboard has been
selected.
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Enabling the Secure Browser Keyboard
Note: All screenshots in this section were taken with a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2.
1. Select the secure browser icon on the home
screen.
2. You will be prompted to change the
keyboard. Select Close.
3. Select Set up input methods. The Language
and Input settings screen will automatically
open.
4. Select the checkbox next to AIRSecureTest
so that a checkmark appears.
5. You will be prompted to acknowledge that
this selection is okay. Select OK to continue.
Note: This action allows the mobile secure
browser to use the secure browser
keyboard.
6. Navigate to the secure browser to open it.
(You can use the application switcher or go
back to “Home” and select the secure
browser icon.)
7. You will be prompted to change the
keyboard. Select Close.
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8. The Android tablet’s default keyboard will
still be selected.
9. Select the checkmark or circle for the
AIRSecureTest keyboard.
10. Select Continue. You will be prompted to
complete the application launch using the
preferred method.
11. Select AIRSecureTest (ensure it is shaded
and highlighted blue) and then select
Always.
12. You will need to acknowledge that the
secure browser’s default settings have
changed. (This is a result of selecting the
secure browser keyboard.)
13. Select OK.
Chrome OS Requirements
The American Institutes for Research has worked with Google to develop a secure browser
kiosk application that can be downloaded onto Chromebooks from the Chrome Web Store.
Using the AIRSecureTest kiosk application requires Chromebooks to run in kiosk mode.
About the AIRSecureTest Kiosk App
The AIRSecureTest browser is not a hosted app. In order to support all test features, AIR
developed a packaged kiosk application. As a result, this app must be deployed onto managed
Chromebooks via the Chrome Management Console as a kiosk application rather than via a
public session. (You may still use public sessions for other applications.)
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Instructions for installing the kiosk application are in the Secure Browser Installation Manual.
Google Documentation
The following references are for users who need to ensure that managed Chromebooks are
configured correctly prior to installing the AIRSecureTest kiosk app.
Managed Chromebooks

Using Chromebooks for Student Assessments
(https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/3273084)
o Refer to “Scenario 1: School sets up Chromebook to run as a Single App Kiosk running
the exam app.”
o Do NOT follow the instructions for Scenarios 2 and 3.

Managing Device Settings (https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/1375678)
Non-Managed Chromebooks
Non-managed Chromebooks must not already be configured with user accounts before you
enable kiosk mode. If you have already added user accounts to Chromebooks, you will need to
wipe the devices.
Google has provided instructions for wiping Chromebooks:
https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/1360642?hl=en.
After you wipe the Chromebooks, follow the instructions in the Secure Browser Installation
Manual to enable kiosk mode and install the AIRSecureTest app.
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Section III. Text-to-Speech Requirements
This section contains information about text-to-speech requirements.
Overview of Text-to-Speech
Using text-to-speech requires at least one voice pack to be pre-installed on computers that will
be used for testing. For Windows, Mac, Android, and Chrome operating systems, default voice
packs are typically pre-installed. For computers running a Linux distribution, voice packs may
need to be downloaded and installed.
A number of voice packs are available for desktop computers, and AIR researches and tests
voice packs for compatibility with the secure browsers. Additionally, not all voice packs that
come pre-installed with operating systems are approved for use with online testing. The voice
packs listed at the end of this section have been tested and are whitelisted by the secure
browser.
Using Text-to-Speech
Students using text-to-speech for the practice tests must log in using a supported secure
browser. Students can also verify that text-to-speech works on their computers by logging in to
a practice test session and selecting text-to-speech on the Choose Settings screen.
Note: We strongly encourage schools to test the text-to-speech settings before students take
operational tests. You can check these settings by taking a practice test using the secure
browser or app, and selecting the Text To Speech option on the Choose Settings page while
signing in.
How the Secure Browsers Work With Voice Packs
Desktop Secure Browsers
The secure browsers are configured to recognize several known voice packs to provide the textto-speech accommodation. The secure browsers detect pre-installed voice packs on the
students’ machines. When a student who is using text-to-speech logs in to a test session and
has been approved for testing, the secure browser will look for voice packs on the student’s
machine. When it recognizes an approved voice pack, the one with the highest priority rating
will be used.
If any of the approved voice packs has also been set as the default voice on the computer, then
that voice pack will always get the highest priority.
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Mobile Secure Browsers
The mobile secure browser uses either the device’s native voice pack or a voice pack embedded
in the secure browser. If additional voice packs are downloaded to a tablet or Chromebook,
they will not be recognized by the mobile secure browser.
iOS
Mobile Secure Browser version 2.2

iOS 6.0–6.1: The embedded NeoSpeech voice pack will be used.

iOS 7.0–8.1: The native iOS voice pack will be used.
Android
The AIRSecureTest app for Android uses the native voice pack available on the supported
Android tablet being used.
Chrome OS
The AIRSecureTest kiosk app for Chromebooks uses the native voice pack available on the
Chromebook device being used.
About NeoSpeech™ Voice Packs for Windows
Pursuant to an agreement between NeoSpeech™ and the American Institutes for Research
(AIR), authorized users may download and install specific licensed NeoSpeech™ voice packs for
use on supported Windows computers (Windows XP Service Pack 3, Vista, 7, 8.0, and 8.1).
These voice packs can be used instead of the default Windows voice packs for English and the
commercial Spanish voice packs from Cepstral. (The default Windows voice packs as well as the
Cepstral voice packs for Windows may still be used for text-to-speech, if desired.)

The Julie voice pack is for English text-to-speech users.

The Violeta voice pack is for Spanish text-to-speech users.
The NeoSpeech™ voice pack is to be used only in conjunction with, and not separate from, the
online assessments provided by AIR's Test Delivery System.
The NeoSpeech™ voice packs can be downloaded from TIDE. Installation instructions are also
available in TIDE.
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Windows Text-to-Speech Settings
This section explains how to configure Windows for using text-to-speech with the secure
browser. The text-to-speech feature is available on Windows versions as listed in the Online
System Requirements for Ohio Science and Social Studies Tests.
The instructions in this section are for Windows 7. The process is similar for other versions of
Windows.
1. Open the Control Panel window, and
select Speech Recognition.
2. In the Speech Recognition window, select
Text to Speech.
3. Configure default text-to-speech
preferences.
a. Voice selection: If multiple voice packs
are available, select the default voice.
b. Select Preview Voice to see whether
the selected voice requires a rate
adjustment.
c. Voice speed: If necessary, adjust the
voice speed. Drag the slider to make
the voice speak slower or faster. To
listen to the rate, select Audio Output.
d. When you are done, click OK to save
your settings and then close the
Speech Properties window.
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Mac OS X Text-to-Speech Settings
This section explains how to configure Mac OS X for using text-to-speech with the secure
browser. The text-to-speech feature is available on OS X versions as listed in the Online System
Requirements for Ohio Science and Social Studies Tests.
The instructions in this section are for OS X 10.9. The process is similar for other versions of
OS X.
1. Open System Preferences, and select
Dictation & Speech.
2. In the Text to Speech section, configure
your default text-to-speech preferences.
o System Voice: If multiple voice packs
are available, select the default voice.
o Select Play to see whether the selected
voice requires a rate adjustment.
o Speaking Rate: If necessary, adjust the
voice speed. Drag the slider to make
the voice speak slower or faster. To
listen to the rate, select Play.
o When you are done, click the red X in
the upper left corner to save your
settings and close the Speech window.
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Linux Text-to-Speech Settings
This section explains how to install voice packs on the supported Linux distributions.
1. Install Festival for text-to-speech:
o Ubuntu: sudo apt-get install festival
o Fedora, RedHat: yum install festival
o openSUSE: zypper install festival
2. Install SoX for text-to-speech:
o Ubuntu: sudo apt-get install sox
o Fedora, RedHat: yum install sox
o openSUSE: zypper install festival
3. Using Table 7 as a reference, install voice packs from the indicated packages. (These are the
supported voice packs.)
Table 7. Packages that Include Supported Voice Packs on Linux Distributions
Distribution/Voice Pack
Available in Package
Ubuntu
kal_diphone (Kevin American English male)
festvox-kallpc16k, festvox-kallpc8k
ked_diphone (Kurt American English male)
festvox-kdlpc16k, festvox-kdlpc8k
el_diphone (Castilian Spanish male)
festvox-ellpc11k
openSuse
kal_diphone (Kevin American English male)
(included in festival)
Fedora, RedHat
cmu_us_awb_arctic_hts (Scottish English male)
festvox-awb-arctic-hts
cmu_us_bdl_arctic_hts (American English male)
festvox-bdl-arctic-hts
cmu_us_jmk_arctic_hts (Canadian English male
speaker)
festvox-jmk-arctic-hts
kal_diphone (Kevin American English male)
festvox-kal-diphone
ked_diphone (Kurt American English male)
festvox-ked-diphone
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Voice Packs Recognized by Desktop Secure Browsers
The tables in this section display the voice packs for each desktop operating system (Windows,
Mac, and Linux) that are currently recognized by the secure browser.
Windows and Mac OS X computers typically ship with at least one default voice pack. Many of
these default voice packs are recognized by the secure browser.
Windows
Table 8. Voice Packs Recognized by Secure Browsers—Windows
Vendor
Voice Pack
Language
Windows (pre-installed)
Julie
English
Windows (pre-installed)
Kate
English
Windows (pre-installed)
Michael
English
Windows (pre-installed)
Michelle
English
Windows (pre-installed)
MSAnna
English
Windows (pre-installed)
MS_EN-GB_HAZEL
English
Windows (pre-installed)
MS_EN-US_DAVID
English
Windows (pre-installed)
MS_EN-US_ZIRA
English
Windows (pre-installed)
MSMary
English
Windows (pre-installed)
MSMike
English
Windows (pre-installed)
MSSam
English
Windows (pre-installed)
Paul
English
Windows (pre-installed)
Violeta
Spanish
Cepstral (commercial)
Cepstral_David
English
Cepstral (commercial)
Cepstral_Marta
Spanish
Cepstral (commercial)
Cepstral_Miguel
Spanish
NeoSpeech (commercial)
VW Julie
English
NeoSpeech (commercial)
VW Violeta
Spanish
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Mac OS X
Table 9. Voice Packs Recognized by Secure Browsers—Mac OS X
Vendor
Voice Pack
Language
Mac (pre-installed)
Agnes
English
Mac (pre-installed)
Alex
English
Mac (pre-installed)
Bruce
English
Mac (pre-installed)
Callie
English
Mac (pre-installed)
David
English
Mac (pre-installed)
Fred
English
Mac (pre-installed)
Jill
English
Mac (pre-installed)
Junior
English
Mac (pre-installed)
Kathy
English
Mac (pre-installed)
Princess
English
Mac (pre-installed)
Ralph
English
Mac (pre-installed)
Samantha
English
Mac (pre-installed)
Tom
Spanish
Mac (pre-installed)
Vicki
English
Mac (pre-installed)
Victoria
English
Mac (pre-installed)
Diego
Spanish
Mac (pre-installed)
Javier
Spanish
Mac (pre-installed)
Marta
Spanish
Mac (pre-installed)
Monica
Spanish
Mac (pre-installed)
Paulina
Spanish
Infovox (commercial)
Heather Infovox iVox HQ
English
Infovox (commercial)
Rosa Infovox iVox HQ
Spanish
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Linux
Table 10. Voice Packs Recognized by Secure Browsers—Linux
Vendor
Voice Pack
Language
Festvox (commercial)
cmu_us_awb_arctic_hts
English
Festvox (commercial)
cmu_us_bdl_arctic_hts
English
Festvox (commercial)
cmu_us_jmk_arctic_hts
English
Festvox (commercial)
cmu_us_slt_arctic_hts
English
Festvox (commercial)
kal_diphone
English
Festvox (commercial)
ked_diphone
English
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Appendix A. Systems and URLs Provided by AIR
This appendix provides information about the URLs for each system that AIR provides.
Non-Testing Sites
System
URL
Portal and secure browser installation files
oh.portal.airast.org
Single Sign On System
oh.sso.airast.org
Test Information Distribution Engine
oh.tide.airast.org
Online Reporting System
oh.ors.airast.org
Testing Sites
TA and Student Testing Sites
The Test Administrator and student testing sites use a cloud-based satellite system for optimal
load balancing during testing. This includes the operational sites (TA Interface and Student
Testing Site) and practice sites (TA Practice Site and Practice Test Site). Testing servers and
satellites may be added or modified during the school year to ensure an optimal testing
experience. As a result, AIR strongly encourages you to whitelist at the root level. This requires
using a wildcard.
System
URL
TA and Student Testing Sites
*.tds.airast.org
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Appendix B. Technology Coordinator Checklist
You can use this checklist during review of networks and computers used for testing.
Activity
Target
Completion Date
Reference
Verify that all of your school’s computers that
will be used for online testing meet the operating
system requirements.
3–4 weeks before
testing begins in
your school
Online System
Requirements for
Ohio Science and
Social Studies Tests
Verify that your school’s network and Internet
are properly configured for testing, conduct
network diagnostics, and resolve any issues.
3–4 weeks before
testing begins in
your school
Network and Internet
Requirements
Install the secure browser on all computers that
will be used for testing.
3–4 weeks before
testing begins in
your school
Secure Browser
Installation Manual
Enable pop-up windows and review software
requirements for each operating system.
1–2 weeks before
testing begins in
your school
General Software
Requirements
On Windows computers, disable Fast User
Switching.
1–2 weeks before
testing begins in
your school
Disabling Fast User
Switching
On Mac 10.7—10.10 computers, disable
Spaces in Mission Control.
1–2 weeks before
testing begins in
your school
Disabling Spaces
Install and verify any required text-to-speech
software onto computers that will be used for
testing.
1–2 weeks before
testing begins in
your school
Text-to-Speech
Requirements
On iPads, Androids and Chromebooks,
complete the Launchpad step.
1–2 weeks before
testing begins in
your school
Secure Browser
Installation Manual
On iPads, ensure that Guided Access or ASAM
is enabled and that TAs know how to activate
Guided Access.
1–2 weeks before
testing begins in
your school
Enabling Guided
Access
On Android tablets, ensure that the secure
browser keyboard is enabled.
1–2 weeks before
testing begins in
your school
Enabling the Secure
Browser Keyboard
If a student can access multiple user accounts
on a single computer, you are encouraged to
disable the Fast User Switching function.
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Appendix C. User Support
If this document does not answer your questions, please contact the Ohio Help Desk.
The Help Desk will be open Monday–Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (except holidays).
Ohio Help Desk
Toll-Free Phone Support: 1-877-231-7809
Email Support: OHHelpDesk@air.org
If you contact the Help Desk, you will be asked to provide as much detail as possible about the
issues you encountered.
Include the following information:

Test Administrator name and IT/network contact person and contact information

SSIDs of affected students

Results ID for the affected student tests

Operating system and browser version information

Any error messages and codes that appeared, if applicable

Information about your network configuration:
o Secure browser installation (to individual machines or network)
o Wired or wireless Internet network setup
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